Erie and Lakeland win on Sunday to salvage series splits

Scores, news and notes from the Detroit Tigers’ farm system for Sunday, April 13, 2025.

Iowa Cubs 2, Toledo Mud Hens 0 (box )

The Mud Hens offense continued to scuffle against major league veteran Chris Flexen on Sunday. Hens pitching was good, but they dropped the series four games to two with the loss.

Lael Lockhart Jr. got the start for Toledo and he was good. A pair of doubles in the third scored the Cubs only run off him over five innings of work. The lefty scattered five hits and two walks, striking out five along the way.

The Hens’ offense didn’t get a runner on base until a two-out Hao-Yu Lee single in the bottom of the fourth. Bligh Madris doubled in the fifth, but again it was with two outs and he was stranded.

Tyler Owens took over from Lockhart in the sixth with a scoreless inning. In the bottom half Riley Unroe led off with a double, but a line drive from Brewer Hicklen was caught and the Hens went quietly from there. Owens tossed a scoreless seventh, erasing a leadoff single by starting a 1-4-3 double play in the inning.

Flexen finally left the game after six, but the Hens went in order in the seventh. Lefty PJ Poulin tossed a scoreless eighth, and the Hens were still down just a run heading into the bottom of the eighth. Unfortunately they went in order with Stephen Scott and Unroe both striking out. Poulin allowed a run in the ninth, and the Hens again went quietly in a pretty lifeless offensive performance with just three hits and no walks to their credit.

Lockhart (L, 0-2): 5.0 IP, ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Erie SeaWolves 1, Chesapeake Baysox 0 (box )

Jake Miller and Garrett Burhenn outdueled the Baysox staff on Sunday to lead the SeaWolves to a series split.

Miller has looked excellent to start the year, and he did in his season debut, he fired four innings of shutout ball in this one. The left-hander struck out five, scattering three hits and he didn’t walk a batter.

Right-hander Garrett Burhenn took over from Miller in the fifth, and he too blanked the Baysox for four innings, collecting three strikeouts.

The SeaWolves weren’t doing much better at the plate. They had six hits in this one though they also drew four walks, which would be key.

In the top of the fourth, Carlos Mendoza led off with a walk. Max Anderson struck out, but a pair of wild pitches got Mendoza, a very good baserunner, to third. Justice Bigbie singled him home for the game’s only run. Bigbie and Trei Cruz have really powered the offense so far although they have some others contributing in the early going.

There was a little traffic on the bases throughout the game, but the RBI knocks just never materialized. In the fifth when Burhenn took over, he walked the leadoff hitter, Anthony Servideo, who promptly stole second base. Yet Burhenn dug in with one out and struck out the next two hitters. He didn’t have much trouble the rest of the way.

Cruz led off the sixth with a double, but he was stranded. Jake Holton drew a leadoff walk in the seventh and was wild pitched to second. A pair of ground balls moved Holton to third, and then to being thrown out at home on a Jim Jarvis ball to shortstop. Jarvis stole second base and Eduardo Valencia walked, but Brady Allen struck out. So it went.

Troy Watson punched out a pair in a perfect ninth to earn his first save of the season.

Miller: 4.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 BB, 5 K

Cruz: 2-3, 2B, BB, K, CS

Bigbie: 2-4, RBI

Coming Up Next: The Akron RubberDucks come to town for six in Erie this week. Tuesday night’s series opener is set for 6:05 p.m. ET.

Lake County Captains 8, West Michigan Whitecaps 4 (box )

The Captains rode a six-run seventh inning to victory, but they also pounded out 14 hits as Caps’ pitching struggled to contain them.

West Michigan started fast as Max Clark drew a leadoff walk in the top of the first and scored on a Seth Stephenson double. Those two are lightning on the bases together. Josue Briceño flew out to right, moving Stephenson to third, and Andrew Jenkins drew a walk. Jack Penney cashed in a run with a single to left and it was 2-0 Whitecaps.

Carlos Marcano got the start and he was good in a limited early season outing. The young sinkerballer spotted both his fastball and his breaking stuff well and it was pretty dominant outing. Marcano tossed four scoreless with six strikeouts against one walk.

In the fifth, Joe Adametz took over in long relief and was tagged for two runs on a string of singles, but there wasn’t much hard contact at all. Still the game was tied 2-2.

The Whitecaps came right back in the top of the sixth as Luke Gold walked with one out and Peyton Graham spanked a ground ball the opposite way for a single. Bennett Lee’s grounder was misplayed and the bases were juiced for Abel Bastidas, who was just promoted from extended spring training, and he came through with a two-run double to make it 4-2 ‘Caps. With two in scoring position and one out, they had a shot at a big inning but it didn’t happen as Clark struck out and Stephenson popped out to end it.

Perhaps it wouldn’t have mattered, because in the seventh, the Captains erupted for six runs. Adametz was charged for four of them, while reliever Haden Erbe entered the game with runners on and allowed a single and a triple. He was ultimately on the hook for two runs of his own, and this one was over.

The ‘Caps got a leadoff single from Peyton Graham in the eighth, and a walk to Jenkins in the ninth, but couldn’t do anything with them.

Graham: 2-4, R

Bastidas: 1-4, 2 RBI, 2 K

Marcano: 4.0 IP, 0 R, 5 H, BB, 6 K

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps come home to start a series with the South Bend Cubs at 6:35 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 2, St. Lucie Mets 1 (box )

There were plenty of baserunners, but few runs scored in this one as the Flying Tigers got the win to split the series. Their pitching and a clean game defensively carried them as they made a 2-1 lead after the first inning hold up all game long.

Hayden Minton got the start coming off a strong season debut. He was good again. In the top of the first, with two outs, he allowed a walk and a double by Drew Gilbert. The Mets had a 1-0 lead but that was all they’d do against Minton. He went four innings, allowing just one more hit while striking out four.

The Flying Tigers came right back as Franyerber Montilla drilled a hard ground ball for a one out single in the bottom half. Nomar Fana struck out, but Jose De La Cruz singled and took second on a throwing error. With runners on second and third, Carson Rucker smoked a 107.3 screamer to left field for a double that scored both runners. 2-1 Lakeland, and that’s where it would stay.

Ethan Sloan and Ignacio Briceno carried the Flying Tigers the rest of the way. They weren’t striking anyone out, but they scattered seven hits and two walks between them. Thomas Bruss came on in the bottom of the ninth to get the final out of the game.

Montilla: 3-4, R, K

Rucker: 1-3, 2 RBI, 2B, BB, K

Minton: 4.0 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers travel to play the Dunedin Blue Jays next week.